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ESADE

Updated Sept. 21, 2005 12:01 a.m. ET

Escuela Superior de Administraci&oacute;n y Direcci&oacute;n de Empresas, established in 1958 in Barcelona, Spain, by a group of businesspeople in collaboration with the Society of Jesus, began life with only undergraduate and doctorate programs but added the M.B.A. degree in 1964.

Today, it has campuses in both Barcelona and Madrid and offers four varieties of M.B.A. degrees: one-year, 18-month, part-time and executive.

ESADE's general-management M.B.A. program is bilingual; by the time students graduate, they are expected to be fluent in English and Spanish. ESADE students also can participate in exchange programs at some 60 business schools around the world.

After a month focused on basic business principles, students in the 18-month program follow three stages of study: general management and the business environment, the integration of strategy with business functions, and global management.

In the second year, they can major in such areas as public-sector management, finance, marketing, business policy, human resources and information systems. Students also create a business plan to hone their entrepreneurial skills.

Given its religious roots, ESADE emphasizes personal values and corporate social and environmental responsibility through both the M.B.A. curriculum and research at its Institute for the Individual, Corporations and Society.

One of ESADE's newest offerings is an international master's degree in tourism and leisure. The degree was created as part of an agreement with the Spanish government and tourism companies to improve training of industry managers.

In The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive survey, recruiters gave ESADE graduates their highest marks for communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work well in teams.

ESADE received its lowest ratings for faculty expertise and the likelihood of hiring stars.

Graduates "are well-rounded in their technical knowledge, managerial skills, international perspective and values," says Jose Lopez, a survey respondent who recruits at ESADE as an executive-search consultant for Russell Reynolds Associates.

He sees the school's primary academic strengths in marketing and human resources and believes it is "leading in Spain on the topic of emotional intelligence and leadership."

ESADE

Escuela Superior de Administraci&amp;oacute;n y Direcci&amp;oacute;n de Empresas, established in 1958 in Barcelona, Spain, by a group of businesspeople in collaboration with the Society of Jesus, began life with only undergraduate and doctorate programs but added the M.